I'm With the Band
by babsy
Summary: Selphie makes her own rock band for the Garden Committee, and they get the funds to go on tour! Everyone's invited! Go on tour all over the world of Final Fantasy VIII with the almost entire cast! A tribute to all rock bands!


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Disclaimer-I checked to see if I own Final Fantasy, but it turns out that I don't, so I am just going to let you know that until I do, this is just in honor of the game, and I'm not making a profit, so don't get mad oh please!

I'm With the Band

01 Destination: Balamb Garden

Notes: This is a fiction for those of us who want to be in, are in, what a boyfriend that is in, or listen to rock bands of any kind! I'm really happy about this fic and I'm not going to rush chapters! Each Chapter is going to be the destination number and the place of the concert. So chapter one is the first stop on the tour and it's in Balamb Garden! Get it!? Also I'm using military time in this story because: 1)Garden is a military school 2)It's easier and smarter 3)I want to. So Read and Review! By the way, if you chose to flame, at least leave some constructive criticism for next time, K!? sorry so long!

"Skidaddle Skippers! Let's get this show on the road!!!" Irvine Kinneas shouted over the poor saps that had volunteered to help the Garden Festival Band. Selphie was busy with the actual band and she had left Irvine in charge to get all of the equipment packed for that night's show!

"Geez, who knew lugging guitar cases onto a stupid bus was gonna be so freakin' hard!" a junior student growled to a friend. Irvine used the megaphone in his ear.

"SO THIS IS TOO HARD FER YA KIDDO!?! LET'S GO!!! MOVE IT!!!" Irvine probably damaged the poor kid's hearing. He ran off carrying an amp onto the stage. He was really passionate about Selphie's band, but he was feeling large and in charge about it too, so it was no big deal. Then the band made their appearance, led by Selphie who was more pumped than Irvine.

A few months back, Selphie had used her SeeD pay (Squall and Zell noticed that they were a bit short, too…) to start a band. She rigged up a stage in the quad with help from some of the FH guys, and she bought instruments (and band members) with the extra money. Her new band consisted of all of her friends: Herself on bass guitar, Irvine on lead guitar, Zell on guitar, Quistis on keyboards, Seifer (who could not believe he joined) on drums, Squall on vocals (yes, he was an amazing singer with the right amount of cash), and Rinoa on back up vocals. Altogether, it was a beautiful thing! When the Garden heard them perform for the first time, everyone was stunned, mostly the headmaster who gave them the funds to tour! Which brings them to the reason why Irvine was torturing poor little kids? It was the first day of their break-through tour! Actually, they were playing for the Garden again, but it was the first stop on the tour that would go all around the world!!! Selphie was mega excited.

The band (which had no name at the time at the fault of the band members who could not agree on anything) members had been practicing all day. Selphie was a drill sergeant so they'd probably end up practicing even more before the day was up.

"HEY IRVINE!" Selphie signaled to Irvine who had a junior in a choke hold. He immediately let go and ran over to Selphie like a dog. They began to chatter excitedly to each other. The rest of the band was exhausted, sitting by the side of the Garden, waiting for further instructions.

"OK guys! We have two hours until the last rehearsal, so don't be late, remember, get some rest and the show is at twenty hundred so unless you die and can't make it to the rehearsal, be on the stage with instruments and voices at eighteen hundred!!!" Selphie ordered. The rest just groaned and Irvine went back to setting up the stage.

Zell ran right to the cafeteria, well he was almost there when he ran head first into Quistis while turning a corner.

"Geez, watch where you're going Quistis," Zell complained and was going to continue his run if not for Quistis holding him back.

"What the--What are you doing!?" Zell almost hit her, but saved himself remembering all of the times that Matron and his mother told him not to hit girls, especially with his martial arts talents. For some reason, Zell didn't see Quistis as a girl his age. Maybe it was all of those years that she was an instructor or something.

"Zell, you know you are not supposed to run in the halls!" Quistis chastised him. Zell was about to hit her again, but on his better judgment, decided against it. What was she trying to do?

"Ok, listen Quistis, you are standing in between a man and his love, so I would suggest you back up right now and leave. You're not an instructor any more, I don't see anyone in this hall, and I'm going to run down to the cafeteria before they run out of hot dogs like they always do right when I get there. If I miss out, I'm going to--"

"Going to what, Chicken-wuss?" Seifer appeared from the shadows, cradling his precious gun blade and looking for a fight. He was still the leader of the disciplinary committee, so he was the one who would punish Zell if he did run to the cafeteria. Zell cursed and ran, while Seifer, the bloodthirsty dog that he is, ran after him, leaving Quistis alone in a cross between fear and amusement.

Squall in the meantime was all alone in the library reading Weapons Monthly and thinking to himself. He was contemplating whether or not to buy a new gun blade when Rinoa waltzed in and parked herself in the chair next to him. She was trying to read over his shoulder. Maybe if she could get some information she could start a normal conversation with him. Unfortunately, Rinoa knew nothing about gun blades and even less about Squall.

For the past few weeks, Squall and Rinoa had been in that suspended stage of life where it's basically obvious that they are in love, but it's just a matter of what to do about it. They were kind of together, just not officially. Things could sometimes get tense between them. Now that there was nothing to fight, they may not keep the feelings that they needed to survive during the sorceress' reign.

Rinoa had had boyfriends in the past, but she had never dated or even liked anyone like Squall. She loved him, but maybe it just wasn't meant to be. After all, Squall hardly talked or laughed, but he was sweet and cute and a good listener.

"That means the positives outweigh the negatives right?" Rinoa said, maybe a little too loudly. Squall, who obviously thought she was talking about the gun blade he had been examining for awhile.

"Um. Yeah, if you want to look at it that way," Squall answered. Rinoa acted like she was interested and nodded, Squall continued, "that's not the one for me though. It's too advanced for me. I'm not ready for this one yet."

"Oh," Rinoa sighed. In fact, that's about what she thought of Squall.

At twenty hundred, everyone was back on stage with their equipment in hand. Zell came in looking roughed up and hungry, but when Selphie pried Zell about his black eye; Zell got irritated and wouldn't talk. Seifer looked satisfied, although he had a bruise on his cheek and was limping rather noticeably. Quistis looked dismayed and pensive about something. Rinoa looked like she was about to cry and Squall looked thoughtful if not sedated. Irvine was worn out from his stage work and he was complaining about the help in nearly every sentence. Selphie was a bit worried about the tour. If this was the start, what was the rest of the tour going to be like? Things were looking down.

The rehearsal could have been better, Selphie wanted to cry. She had put a lot of time and effort (not to mention her, Squall, and Zell's money) into this band. But the concert went off without a hitch. It was perfect if not for Zell's stomach growling during one of the ballads. Selphie had to laugh.

Selphie was estatic over the show, but she sent everyone to be early so they could get a good start for their next stop.

"DESTINATION TWO!: BALAMB!"

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Alrighty, I set everything up for the story. This was mostly exposition, so that you would know the premise of my lovely story! Tell me what ya think and I'll see you in Balamb for the next stop on the tour! Also if you can think of names for the band I would be really thankful! I can't promise I'll use them, but I might, or they could inspire me! Later!


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